Ha I dunno, they certainly weren't designed to look pretty! The contours and channels are impressive though.

To people weighing up between the 506 and 504, the 506 is quite chunky, certainly doesn't feel small like the prototype did. I'd say get in the shop and hold both and the right choice will probably be much easier.
I can't really comment until I ride it, but next to my 604 FE step up the vanguard has a longer/straighter effective rail line.
It's certainly going to be an eye opener to ride. Looking forward to it!

actually, sitting out todays cyclone swell with a back tweak so hopefully i'm getting my "new board back " out of the way BEFORE delivery..!!.. hope ya get a few phill....and iggy too..!!

Had some nice big clean walls today at Wamby Core...sat and watched Avoca for an hour..what a mess...called into Wamby on the way home and thought "damn I should have been here". Some very heavy floggings but some heart starters as well. Great morning for it.

Had some nice big clean walls today at Wamby Core...sat and watched Avoca for an hour..what a mess...called into Wamby on the way home and thought "damn I should have been here". Some very heavy floggings but some heart starters as well. Great morning for it.

yeah was toying with going to cabbage tree etc, but hearts not in it anymore and backs signalling it wants to go "ping".. i'll wait for clean take off "performance waves".. i seem to go looking for more protected better breaking waves now...even if they are small... my slab days are over i think... give me something i can attack...not something i have to outrun..!!... keen to see how much i can froth on the vanguard in small stuff...!!!..... or will i try slabbing it???...

of course if i tune back into knifey 6'6 - 6'10's i might look for some meat.. :P

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Yeah it was a struggle to get it where I wanted without covering the leash plug. I forgot a leash string this morning so it wouldn't have mattered.
First impressions. It felt like the right volume for paddling, but it felt like a lot of area to push under for duck diving.
It definitely needs a wave that stands up a bit to let you in, I was getting hung up on some slack ones until they hit the bank then it was off.
It feels really magic carpet-esque gliding over the water once you're moving though.

Conditions were terrible, i barely got more than 3 secs stood up on a wave before they fattened off to nothing and had no opportunity to try turning so can't really give any feedback on that. It feels so square and straight under your feet though that it almost seems like it won't allow you to turn, but from all accounts that is not the case.
I can see why Daniel's customs are often ridden so small though. It's more board than the dims suggest!

Overall I'm very intrigued to get it in some proper waves and see how it goes. I picture it feeling like a high performance sweet potato for better waves...

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Yer thats how my first surf on it felt. Then I had another surf in better cleaner/better waves and loved it. It's not a groveller/smaller wave for me, thats for sure. The spud still has its place. It's defineltly got some fish like feeling to it with the wider nose and tail. I dig it, great allrounder really. I am interested how I find my sub next time I surf it, been a few weeks since I have so hoping I can look past the vangard from time to time.

at solid 3'+, the board can fly already. i think the VG maxes out at 6'. it definitely is my daily driver. as far as getting hung up, most epoxies have a certain amount of that compared to poly glass boards. thanks prj, u've inspired me to surf today in sloppy onshore conditions.

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"
"Some kook had a mini driver on ebay the other week and the arch looked about 4 inches too far forward. No idea...."

FW-fan is a kook :P

are you thinning your herd FW??? or making room for more??

Making room. My theory, which Freaked Out, who is obviously one heat away from the CT will argue against, is that with a rounded pin you never get your foot right back because the apex of the rounded pin means the distance from rail to rail gets narrower to the point you toes and heal are over the edge of the rail. On a rounded square or squash..no problems get that pad right back, but not with as rounded pin. Also being a board designed around barrels you tend to have your back foot a bit forward when pulling in...so the pad is a tad fore not aft....deliberately. I have only been surfing 25 years or so, so what would I know. My guess is that Freaked Out with his tiny little Ooompah Looompah feet, hands and...well you know what usually follows...doesnt have that problem.

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Woops, sorry fan, didnt know it was yours. You sound guttered? Don't be. Had a CT scan once, I try and surf safely in heats! Hey I rekon the vanguard can definetly be surfed with way less volume than your every day. I usually like about 37-40 litres. I like the 5'10" at 36 litres becuse its easy but rekon could surf 5.8 at 32 litres pretty easy. No way I could do that on a flexfire etc. Great board. Go shorter I say.

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Woops, sorry fan, didnt know it was yours. You sound guttered? Don't be. Had a CT scan once, I try and surf safely in heats! Hey I rekon the vanguard can definetly be surfed with way less volume than your every day. I usually like about 37-40 litres. I like the 5'10" at 36 litres becuse its easy but rekon could surf 5.8 at 32 litres pretty easy. No way I could do that on a flexfire etc. Great board. Go shorter I say.

Gutted or Guttered...there is a difference you know. No I am not gutted if thats what you meant...love being called a kook...it doesnt happen very often so it makes for a nice change.